Time burnt away: The impact of heat-induced changes on skeletal age-at-death diagnostic features

Rodrigues, Catarina; Matos, Vítor; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Gonçalves, David

doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2022.07.005

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Previous studies [20–25] have been able to estimate the parameters of the biological profile from cremated remains. Van Vark et al [24] and Gonçalves et al [20, 38] successfully estimated the sex of burned remains using metric analyses, whereas Rodrigues et al [22, 23] successfully estimated the sex and age at death of burned remains using morphoscopic features on the os coxa. Moreover, Grévin et al [25] were able to estimate stature of unknown thermally altered remains by using a shrinkage factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies [20][21][22][23][24][25] have been able to estimate the parameters of the biological profile from cremated remains. Van Vark et al…”

Section: Ta B L Ementioning

confidence: 99%

“…[24] and Gonçalves et al [20,38] successfully estimated the sex of burned remains using metric analyses, whereas Rodrigues et al [22,23] successfully estimated the sex and age at death of burned remains using morphoscopic features on the os coxa. Moreover, Grévin et al [25] were able to estimate stature of unknown thermally altered remains by using a shrinkage factor.…”

Section: Ta B L Ementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few published studies have addressed the estimation of biological parameters from burned remains and have mainly focused on cremated remains [20][21][22][23][24][25]. Cremation is rare in the South African forensic context compared to other burn patterns, with minimal calcination, less extensive charring, and heat-altered borders being more prevalent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Veldt fires in South Africa: Implications on osteometry and the biological profile

Liebenberg

Krüger

et al. 2023

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Standard operating procedures for forensic anthropological analyses dictate that thermally altered remains should not be measured, hindering the creation of a biological profile. Few studies have addressed estimating biological parameters from burned remains, with the greatest focus of this research area being on cremated remains. However, veldt fires are more common than cremation in the South African forensic context. The aim of this study was to explore the degree of structural changes observed in domestic pig (Sus scrofa) bones associated with thermal destruction and the potential impact on the estimation of a biological profile using standard osteometric methods. A total of 96 pig femora were divided equally into two categories: fresh and dry. Within each category, equal samples were exposed to different durations of burning, namely, 5, 10, and 20 min. Ten standard femoral anthropological measurements were collected before and after burning. Technical error of measurement and Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests were used to assess changes in the femoral dimensions before and after burning. Most measurements were significantly different after burning, with the fresh bones decreasing in size by up to 7.8% and the dry bones decreasing in size by up to 4.0%. The magnitude of post‐burning measurement changes for both burn conditions was similar to, or smaller than has previously been reported for observer measurement errors of commonly used variables investigated for standard osteometric studies. Veldt fires are less intense than cremation, thus causing less shrinkage.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies [20][21][22][23][24][25] have been able to estimate the parameters of the biological profile from cremated remains. Van Vark et al…”

Section: Ta B L Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ta B L Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Veldt fires in South Africa: Implications on osteometry and the biological profile

Liebenberg

Krüger

et al. 2023

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Age estimation of burnt human remains through DNA methylation analysis

Grignani,

Bertoglio,

Monti

et al. 2024

Int J Legal Med

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The identification of human fire victims is a challenging task in forensic medicine. The heat-induced alterations of biological tissues can make the conventional anthropological analyses difficult. Even if the DNA profile of the victim is achieved, it is possible that no match can be found in a forensic DNA database, thus hindering positive identification. In such cases, any information useful to nail down a possible identity should be collected, such as DNA methylation analysis which could provide useful investigative leads. In the present study, five age-related epigenetic markers (ELOVL2, FHL2, KLF14, C1orf132, and TRIM59) were initially analysed in blood samples of 72 living Italian individuals of known age, using a Single Base Extension (SBE) assay. An age prediction model was built by multiple linear regression including all the markers (Mean Absolute Error, MAE: 3.15 years). This model was tested on 29 blood samples collected during autopsies from burnt human remains, already identified through DNA analysis, providing a MAE of 6.92 years. The model allowed a correct prediction in 79.3% of the cases (95% prediction interval), while six cases were associated with inaccurate predictions (min-max prediction error: 9.8–37.3 years). Among the different sample variables considered to explain these results, only the DNA degradation index was a relevant factor affecting the reliability of the predictions. In conclusion, the SBE typing of blood from burnt remains proved to be a reliable tool to estimate chronological age of most of the samples, also in consideration of its cost-effectiveness and the availability of CE sequencers in every forensic genetics laboratory.

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Time burnt away: The impact of heat-induced changes on skeletal age-at-death diagnostic features

Cited by 2 publications

References 35 publications

Veldt fires in South Africa: Implications on osteometry and the biological profile

Veldt fires in South Africa: Implications on osteometry and the biological profile

Age estimation of burnt human remains through DNA methylation analysis

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